BES 417ci Gen III Hemi - Mo' Power!

Bischoff started his small-bore/big-stroke combination with a stock cast-iron 5.7 block that was treated to a half-fill of Hard Block to stabilize any potential cylinder movement due to the engine making twice its original horsepower. "We've done a lot of the 426s that guys put superchargers and turbos and nitrous on, and at least from the mains' standpoint and even the cylinders, even though they're pretty thin, they actually hold up really well." Similar to the Hemis of yesteryear, the Gen III takes advantage of cross-bolted mains and a full-skirted block to house and stabilize the crankshaft.

The crankshaft used was a K1 piece with a 4.25-inch stroke that is commonly used in "440" Gen III combinations. It was matched with a set of K1 H-beam rods and Mahle/Clevite bearings to finish off the rotating assembly.

On the rear end of the crank, an SFI-approved flywheel connects the shaft to the dyno; however, for enthusiasts interested in seeing an engine like this in an actual hot rod, Chrysler conveniently designed the bellhousing with the same bolt pattern and size as the old-school small-block LA engines. So with a crankshaft adapter and a kick-down cable like the ones available from Buchillon Performance, it is entirely feasible to hook one of these up to an early style tranny that might be residing in your "muscle generation" car.

BES is definitely a player when it comes to CNC-ported Hemi heads, and they've spent a good deal of time figuring out how to get the most out of the stock castings. "We used some late-model 5.7 heads on it and we tried some, for lack of a better term, tricks. We didn't pay so much attention to the flow bench. We kind of went more for cross-sectional area. They didn't flow very well. As a matter of fact, our 6.1 heads that we do every day for HHP with the stock size valve actually out-flow them. But obviously these performed pretty well." New intake seats were installed to handle the massive new intake valves, and the bowls were worked to match the combo. Even downplaying the flow numbers, Bischoff alluded to the power potential for the heads by letting slip that they flow right about 360 cfm. "With a mild port job on the 6.1 heads and a 2.08 valve, they'll do that, so that's what really makes the Hemi work really well without opening the valve a mile."

One of the neato factors with Hemis has always been the rocker arm setup, and the Gen III is no different there. With a net-form casting, the rockers waste no material and their only downside is a lack of adjustability. Regarding stock Hemi rockers, Bischoff says: "They're kind of light, but they work very well. We've never seen a failure out of them with the street car stuff that we've done. For this application, we wanted to do well in the contest and we thought for sure we needed the adjustability of the Jesel valvetrain. We weren't going to do the Chrysler engine until they opened the rule up where we were allowed to have a modified lifter. Because the Chrysler Hemi's oil backward-they oil from the rocker down to the lifter-you can't put a Jesel rocker on unless you oil from the lifter up to the rocker arm." Apparently, this was done as part of the Multi Displacement System feature that shuts off certain cylinders when under low load to save fuel. Bischoff modified the stock lifters by drilling a small hole in the side, allowing oil to travel up the hollow Manley pushrods to the rockers.

BES has run the DFI system in the past and has been extremely pleased and comfortable with it. The operation of DFI begins with a crank position signal provided by an MSD flying-magnet crank trigger. The signal is received by a VR (variable reluctance) pickup, but DFI also has the option of using a Hall effect sensor as a trigger. Baseline tables generated by inputting the basic engine design (including cubic inches, ignition system type, batch or sequentially fired injectors, rpm range) are then used to get the engine up and running. Wideband oxygen sensors then allowed Kolb to monitor the engine's performance and adjust the tables for maximum performance in real time. Rockett Brand 91-octane unleaded gas was then sent through 46 lb/hr injectors to get burned in the chambers.

It is that outside-the-box thinking that has lead BES engines to absolutely dominate the NMCA ranks and being a multitime winner of the Engine Masters Challenge. Bischoff and his team have proven once again that when thrown into any kind of race, they have mo' skill and mo' knowledge, and their engines definitely make mo' power.